Apparatus for washing and sorting coal and other minerals



Aug. "7, 11923. EASAMS A. FRANCE APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND SORTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS Filed Aug. 17 1921 ANTOINE FRANCE, 01F IILIEGE, BELGIUM.

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application filed August 17, 1921. Serial No. M31117.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ANTOINE FRANCE, a subject of the King of the Belgians residing at Liege, 353 Rue Saint Giles, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Washin and Sorting Coal and Other Minerals, 0 which the following is a specification. I

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for washing and separating coal and other minerals, and more particularly to the type of apparatusun which the material to be sorted is carried along a trough by a conveying waterstream of such velocity that the lighter pieces or coals are carried off by the stream while the heavier pieces or schists form a layer on the bottom of the trough. The latter is at 1ntervals in communication with washers or sorting pockets depending therefrom, in which the heavier particles or schists drop and are discharged, and which are crossed by ascending streams of water of such velocity that the coals which may st1l1 be mixed with the schists are sorted out owing to their lesser specific gravity and carried back to the trough by the said streams.

The improvements refer to the arrangement of and to the form presented by the sections of the trough between the washers.

In order to obtain a rapid and regular classification of coal or other minerals in a trough intersected by washers in which use is made of ascending streams or: water, it is disadvantageous to have a progressive reduction of thickness of the layer of grains of high specific gravity in the trough owing to the fact that the cross-section of the said such reduction being edected by stages in such a we that each of the consecutive trough-sections between the successive washers remains of constant cross-section. As in practice it is convenient to construct all the sections of the trough with an identical cross-sectlon, filling-pieces of different sectional shapes are according to the present invention inserted in these sections in such a posed of a rectangular lower portion and a trapezoidal upper portion with the largest side uppermost, the sectional shapes of the filling-pieces placed in the successive troughsections being so selected that the cross-sectional area of the rectangular portion of the passage is decreasing while that of the trapezoidal portion is increasing for each trough-section from the beginning to the end of the trough in the direction of the s stream.

By properly determining the size of the cross-section of the successive sections of the trough in relation to the decreasing slope it is possible to obtain in the said trough a conveying stream of progressively diminishing velocity allowing the deposit of the particles of higher specific gravity in. the part of the trough which is of rectangular cross-section. As a result this layer oi denser grains is always maintained at a suitable thickness.

lin the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a trough fitted with a number of washers in series;

Figures 2 to 5 are diagrammatic cross sections of the various trough-sections, said cross-sections being taken at A-B, CD, EF, G-l-I (Fig. 1) respectively.

As shown in Figure 1, the trough 1 has 1% a slope which decreases by stages in the direction of the arrow A, the arrangement being such that the slope of said trough remains constant down to the washer 3, then at this point becomes smaller but again remains constant up to the next washer 4, where it is again reduced but remains constant up to the next washer, and so on; in other words, the trough is composed of a number of sections each at a decreasing no slope in relation to the preceding one, whereby the velocity of the conveying current remains approximatively the same in spite of the successive additions of the water of the upward streams or currents from the washers 3, 4, 5.

The effective cross-section of the trough is adjusted for. each section thereof in such a manner that it gradually becomes smaller or narrowerat the bottom but remains however constant between every two successlve washers. For example the section a, b, c, d, Figure 2, constitutes the effective free passage for the stream or current whlch carries the minerals towards the first washer 3. Then between the washers 3 and 4, that is to say in the following section of the trough, fillin pieces 6 are inserted of such a sectiona shape, that the width a, b, Figure 3, is smaller than a, b, Figure 2, and that on the contrary the enclosed section a, I), f, e, isgreater than a, b, d, a, to allow for the stream from the washer 3 which is added to the main or conveying current at that sta e.

Filling pieces 7 are again inserted in t e trough-section comprised between the wash ers 4 and 5, the cross-sectional shapes of said pieces 7 being such that a", b", Figure 4 is smaller that a, I) (Figure 3) and similarly a", 0 smaller than a, 0, but that on the other hand the enclosed portion a", I)", f, 6 (Fig. 4) of the effective cross-section is greater than a, 6, f, 6 (Fig. 3) to allow for the addition of the delivery of water from the Washer 4. Similarly the dimensions a, b', and a, 0", Figure 5 are smaller than the corresponding dimensions a", b" and a", c" (Fig. 4) and the area a', 6", f", e, is greater than the area a", I)", f, e, to allow for the still further addition from the Washer 5, and so By this means it is possible to obtain a layer of grains of higher specific gravity of uniform thickness, which is essential for a good classification.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for washing and sorting coal and other minerals of the kind comprising a trough wherein the minerals are classified according to specific gravity by means of a conveying water-stream, and washers arranged at intervals along and dependin from the said trough for completing said classification under the action of upward streams, a trough composed of a plurality of interchangeable sections extending between the consecutive washers, each at a decreasing inclination in relation to the preceding one in the direction of the stream, in combination with removable means for reducin the effective cross-sectional area of leac such trough-section in relation to that of such preceding trough section, for the purpose set forth.

2. In apparatus for washing and sorting coal and other minerals, of the kind comprising a trough wherein the minerals are classified according to specific gravity by means of a conveying water-stream, and washers arranged at intervals along and dependin from the said trough for completing sald classification under the action of upward streams, a trough composed of a plurality of interchangeable sections extending between the consecutive washers, each at a decreasing inclination in relation to the preceding one in the direction 0 the stream, in combination with removaliz lateral filling blocks for reducing the ore sectional area of the said trough-sections gradually towards the bottom thereof, the filling blocks of each trough-section being shaped in relation to those of the other trough-sections in such a manner that the resulting reduction of efiective cross-scotional area becomes more important for each of the successive trough-sections in the direction of the stream in the trough, for the purpose described and substantially as described.

In testimony thereof I signed hereunto my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTOINE FRANCE. Witnesses:

CURTIS T. EVERETT, J. GRAN. 

